


christmas fics 2016

by kopfkino



Category: Football RPF
Genre: (basti and lukas are mostly mentioned though), Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sirens, blond mats hummels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 20:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9021724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopfkino/pseuds/kopfkino
Summary: every chapter has a special request from people on tumblr (in short:)1. mats/benni: mats is blond send help2. miro/mario: miro the fisherman meets merman!mario3. thomas/manuel: how to get out of best friends region ft neuller4. miro/thomas: pacific rim au5. fips/timo: new year's eve at stuttgart with snow6. robert/thomas: star wars au





	1. mats/benedikt

**Author's Note:**

> these are just small fics i wrote for my friends who requested them on tumblr, i hope you all like these!

“Merry Christmas!” 

Benedikt opens the door, cheering loudly at his surprise visit. It was weird having to come to Munich instead of Dortmund, but if this was what he wanted, Benni would go anywhere. He was going to give Mats something to remember for Christmas. He blinks, no reply coming from anywhere in the flat. This makes no sense, Manuel and Philipp had both made sure he’d be home by the time the taxi drove him from the airport. “It’s me, Bennilove!”

He called out, “Mats?”

The silence is intriguing enough for Benedikt to doubt his teammates. He awkwardly reaches out for his phone, already typing a message. Well, he ponders like this maybe he could make a surprise decoration for him? He leans on the kitchen counter closing the window, used to keeping track of Mats’ forgetful habits. He smiles at the fact that no matter where he went, things never changed for the dark haired defender.

_I swear he said he’s going home! - Manuel._

He stares at the screen, and sighs. There’s only the sound of the keyboard tapping. _But I’m here and he’s not--._ A sudden noise coming from the back of the bathroom throws him off. It’s a door being shut, and a chill goes down on his spine. If this was Mats why wouldn’t have he replied when he first called out his name?

“Mats?” He repeats, voice half loud of what he had intended. There’s no reply again, and the situation is starting to creep him out. He’s not captain for nothing, so Benni decides he has to be brave and find out what this is all about. He takes a few very cautious steps into the Livingroom, then into the hallway. It’s Mats’ bedroom that is closed, Benni notices. Arriving behind it, he turns the handle only to find it locked.

A last attempt, “Mats? It’s me, Benedikt.” 

Finally, a small voice replies through the crack of the door. “Benni?” It’s enough to recognize his voice, and Benedikt is ready to go off at him. “What’s wrong? Why on earth are you hiding?”

No reply again, and he tries again. “Open the door?”

“I wasn’t expecting you until after new year’s.”

Benedikt smiles against the door, “Surprise.” They stay like that for what seems an eternity, but he can’t help but worry about what made Mats act this rash. It was curious how the world perceived Mats as such a confident person when Benni knew how self-conscious he could get. 

“Promise me you won’t laugh,”

Laugh? Benedikt raises an eyebrow, yet he complies. “I promise,” The handle makes a small click sound, sign of it being unlocked and he pushes softly. The light from the window temporarily blinds him, but soon enough his eyes readjust, and he turns to find Mats on the bed. He can’t help it but stumble at the surprise.

“ _Oh my god,_ ”

He’s blond. Mats is blond. His mouth drops open as his boyfriend stands in front of him and tries to hide it between his fingers.

“Is it awful?” He asks, an apologetically look on his face. “Do you hate it?”

Benedikt bites his lips, and shakes his head without a thought. “I’m just really surprised, I--” It’s only too much until he breaks into a fit of laughter, he has definitely seen it all. 

“And here’s to me thinking that your transfer to Bayern was the most shocking thing to ever happen,”

Mats rolls his eyes, and opens the closet. He tries to look through his winter clothes desperately.

“You know, when I said that blonds have more fun-- this is _not_ what I meant.”

His face is met by a scarf, thrown by Mats clearly designed to shut him up. Giggling, he takes a step closer to him, wrapping his arms around him from behind. Mats finds a beanie and immediately puts it on.

“There-- gone.”

Benedikt shakes his head, and pulls him down with him. The pair land on the bed and Mats shifts in order to have him resting on his chest. “You don’t have to hide it from me,” He reaches and takes the hat away from his head, revealing the blond hair.

“I’m still more handsome than you are though,” He adds, a smile between his teeth. Mats smiles fondly at him, fully aware of Benedikt’s attempts to making him feel better with himself. He reaches out and pulls him for a kiss, momentarily wanting to forget about it.

“Anyway,” Benedikt says when he pulls away. “How come?”

“It was a bet, at Oktoberfest,”

“See _this_ is why you shouldn’t have left Dortmund. Munich is dangerous.”

Mats laughs and shrugs, “It’s fine, actually, if you like it... maybe i should keep it longer." Benedikt's smile fades slowly as Mats nods, "Thanks Benni. I love you," 

 


	2. miroslav/mario

It was the first time Miro brought Lukas with him on his fishing trip. The pair had made a bet; true, Lukas had been a bit sleep deprived and not exactly conscious of what he was getting himself to, but that wasn’t his problem. He could definitely use the company and he’s always been strangely fond of Lukas. The pair got on the boat in the early morning, while the sun was still sleeping behind the mountains.

“Is it always this quiet?” Lukas asked, and Miroslav nodded; it was one of the things he enjoyed about fishing. The tranquility gave him the time and space to think about most things, including his tactics and ways to improve. He unwrapped the tight rope from the dock and under the waves of the water beneath them, they sailed forward. 

A few hours later, there had barely been any results for them both. An unusual sight for Miroslav.

“It’s probably me scaring all the good fish away,” Lukas joked; knowing his friend must be tense at the situation. His attention was suddenly taken by a dark shadow dancing around the water.

“Hey, Miro--“

He didn’t have the time to finish his sentence, because a huge unexpected wave hit them in the stern pushing Lukas down on the floor. Miro struggled to keep his balance, and ended tumbling against the side and falling his head first in the water.

It wasn’t the first time he had fallen off his boat, but it being so early send a few shivers down his spine. He threw his legs to the surface, the waves making it harder for him. Accidentally, Miroslav opened his mouth letting some water in. It’s unbalancing, and he couldn’t help but choke and half coughing underwater. Panic slightly rising in his throat, Miro tried to call out for his friend, maybe Lukas would hear him and save him. It’d be a tragic ending to his life and he knew it was definitely not his time to go.

It was as if his prayer had been heard, because Miroslav felt a sudden push out of the water sending him flying back into the small boat. Soaked, he turned to Lukas only to find panic all across his face. Except he wasn’t looking at Miro, but to a figure he hadn’t noticed next to him. He quickly moved back hitting his head against the edge of the boat.

The man in front of the pair was nothing either of them had ever seen before. A colored blue and green tail following his chest instead of a pair of limbs. He had never believed the stories about mermen and sirens in the lake. The man took a moment to study his surroundings, Miro wondered if he had ever been out of the water. Eventually, he turned his face to face Miroslav directly. A chill shakes him under the so intense gaze. 

“What’s your name?” Lukas interrupted, distracting the merman’s attention.

It took a moment for him to understand the question. Miro asked himself if this man even spoke their language. But he eventually replied, his voice sending a tone of musicality in it. 

“Mario,”

“Hi Mario, I’m Lukas and this is Miroslav, are you lost?”

“I saved him,” Mario replied, not paying attention to what Lukas had said. He moved awkwardly towards Miro, only to spot inches away from his face. Normally Miro would have been felt uncomfortable, but there was something about Mario that didn’t make him move away. He simply sat there, water dripping from both of their bodies.

“You be not like me,” Mario pointed out, making Miro chuckle lightly. He shook his head, confirming his statement. “Who be you?”

“I’m Miroslav,” He repeated, when suddenly Mario started coughing. He turned to Lukas, a look of concern in his face. After all, Mario belonged to the sea. It wasn’t scientifically confirmed how long he would be able to stay out of the water. Lukas made a sign to carry him back, something which Miro complied immediately. The pair carried the fish-tailed man and as softly as they could, dropped him back inside the swelling waves.

Miro stayed a moment to watch the reaction, a part of him wanted the merman to be fine, to relive. When the shadow emerged from the water again, he smiled at Mario’s face smiling back at him.

“Miroslav,” He grinned, as if he had learned a valuable piece of information. “Miroslav come with me!”

The realization of what Mario meant hit Miro, dissolving the smile on his face. He had always been fond of the sea, maybe that explained his illogical draw to this merman? A part of him even considered to join him, to take off his clothes and swim next to him. He had just met him, but for some reason Miro felt as if he had known him all his life. He bitterly remembered the fact that he was human.

“I can’t, I’ll drown.”

He wasn’t even sure Mario would understand what he meant, but apparently he didn’t have to. The merman’s smile vanished, and sadly nodded. _I could come and visit you though, on my boat,_ he thought. _I could bring you human artifacts for you to learn._ He had even forgotten Lukas’ presence next to them. The man interrupted his thoughts waving goodbye. 

“Goodbye Mario!”

He blinked, and sadly added. “Me be back, here, tomorrow.” Turning his tail, he splashed water and dived in cutting the line of sight between them. Miro would have been lying if he denied the uneasy feeling inside of him.

After they both hit the shore, Lukas and him had both agreed to keep this a secret. Walking up the path back to town, his friend started:

“You know, they say mermen mate only once in their lives, and when they pick someone it’s somewhat of an instant connection. That guy seemed to like you very much, Miro.”

Miro laughed softly, looking back on the sun risen on the reflection of the water. “I think I liked him too.”


	3. manuel/thomas

Romantics movies are so stereotyped, at least that’s what Manuel thinks. The main character has a friend, a best friend. The kind of friendship where someone accidentally kill someone and they help each other hiding the body. At one point usually one of the pair starts having feelings for each other. There’s drama, maybe one of them starts dating someone else and this person gets jealous. Or there’s also the possibility that one of them moves away, which pushes the character who is in love with his best friend to confess his feelings.

However, most of these silly movies have one thing in common besides the obvious chemistry between the actors: there’s usually a happy ending. It always turns out that the other friend also had a bunch of feelings repressed and was scared of talking about them. That’s the main difference with real life. 

Now looking at his life, Manuel Neuer didn’t just have a crush on his best friend; he was fucking in love with the guy. Thomas had swooped him off of his feet and the worst part is that he was oblivious about the entire thing.

If he had to pinpoint the moment in which he started feeling like this, it would have to be the 2010 world cup. Both of them were young and unexperienced, ahead of the biggest tournament yet. When Manuel made a save worthy of being celebrated, he always turned to Thomas. When they lost against Spain, Manuel had accidentally walked in on Bastian and Lukas having a moment. This was when it had hit him. He wanted nothing but to hold Thomas like that until the hurt was gone.

Then he had moved to Bayern, and things hadn’t been easy either. He would have to be lying if he didn’t consider Thomas when he signed the contract. Both Schalke and Bayern fans were angry, even if it was a career move if anything. They would throw bananas at him, yell overwhelming things. The only one who would listen to him was no other than Thomas. His smile always managed to cheer Manuel up.

“You’re the best goalkeeper in the world Manu, I’m glad you’re with us now.”

Professionally, it was a good strategy, he was sure of that. On the other hand, emotionally talking, Manuel found himself each time falling a little deeper for his friend. Thomas always wanted to be close to him too. The pair would make movie marathons about horses (a strange fascination of Thomas’) or get drunk at the bar down the Mariensplatz.

By the time 2014 came, they were as close as they had ever been. Winning the world cup had been the icing to the cake. Thomas looked euphoric and Manuel swears he fell even harder as he mistakenly sang ‘Bayern’ instead of ‘Deutschland’ on the bus back to the hotel. The moment when they were celebrating in Berlin felt perfect, Thomas strangely managing to get on Manu’s side to lift a victory fist. The world was theirs in that moment.

The feeling of beating Italy was one neither of them had even possibly had imagined. The set of penalty kicks had mentally exhausted him; but they had done it. They had eliminated the Italians for the first time in a hundred years. Thomas wouldn’t go with everyone else, no matter how much Manu insisted him to do so. 

“If you’re not going, there’s no point.” 

So they stayed in the hotel room, Manuel drinking and thanking some weird divine force on how lucky he was. Thomas put his own beer down, and Manuel did some unthinkable thing. He shared his Nutella with him. If there was anyone who deserved such a treat; it was definitely Thomas.

He’s thought countless times about telling him about his feelings. There’s the scenario where he kisses him drunk, ending in Thomas kissing him back and asking him why he feels this way. Or the one where it’s time for one of them to retire, having nothing left to lose, so Manuel would take his chance. It’s all together scary, because he knows this _isn’t_ a romantic comedy. It’s real life. And in real life, people get hurt when they try switching from friendship to romance. As much as he may want it, maybe he’s lucky to have Thomas just like this. He’s given up before even trying; the risk is too big. 

It’s the main reason why he doesn’t see it coming at all on that day. It’s a sunny afternoon at the Säbener Strasse and everyone else has gone to the lockers. Thomas waits for him, like he always does. As they walk to the building, Thomas gets closer, brushing his arms against Manuel’s. The touch is electrifying, enough to send a couple of shivers through his body. It’s unreal how much effect Thomas has on him. Reaching the door, he does something completely unpredictable. The younger man pushes him against the wall besides them, and kisses him fully on the lips.

Manuel kisses back, automatically. He’s fantasied about this moment for a long time, but it’s nothing he could have imagined. Thomas’ hands finish on his hair, until he pulls away, panting. There’s a grin on his face, a curious contrast to Manuel’s confused expression.

“What was that for?”

Thomas shrugs, and Manu thinks he can spot a slight blush on his cheeks. “Dunno, I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”

He blinks, fully struck by his words. “But-- What?”

“I like you.” He repeats, as if it hadn’t been clear the first time. “A lot.”

Maybe this wasn’t a romantic comedy, or a novel, but as Thomas kisses him again, this time deeper, it hits Manuel. He can’t control the drama that comes from his own life, but that doesn’t take away the fact that they could work well together. In fact, maybe Thomas is worth taking the risk.

 


	4. miroslav/thomas

Miro closes his mind and lets the memories flood through it. The first time he joined the Jaegers, his mother back in Poland giving him a piece of his favorite cake, the Kaijus that destroyed his home town, Opole. They meld with what seem to be Thomas’ memories. He’s now walking in what seems to be a stadium, covered with FC Bayern Münich signs across the crowd. Miro understands that Thomas would have wanted to be a professional football player had the Kaijus not attacked.

_Left hemisphere calibrated, Right hemisphere calibrated._  

His eyes open, and he turns to his side, Thomas focusing on the machine.

“Hey guys, you ready?” Sami’s voice comes through the intercom, “Remember, this is a drill, we’re going to simulate a category III one, Knifehead.”

It’s not the first time he pilots a Jaeger, of course, but he knows better than anyone else that he’s not alone. Thomas had only become his copilot a few months back. He was reluctant after what had happened, his accident with Micha still fresh in his memory. Miroslav had thought he would never pilot again; he didn’t want to anymore.

That had been his plan, to retire some place in Italy or Asia. Alas, the world wasn’t as simple anymore, not with Kaijus roaming around. Philipp had then practically begged him to return. He had said there was a young gifted pilot that needed help. 

“It’s been hell finding him a match, everyone chases the rabbit in his memories.”

“What makes you think I won’t?”

“A hunch,” Philipp had said, but that wasn’t even his biggest argument. “ _That’s what Micha would have wanted you to do.”_ It hurt to consider that Philipp was right, which was the main reason why he had given in. Thomas proved to be drift compatible immediately, even more than after months of training with Micha. Miroslav had successfully established a neural transfer.

Thomas was-- interesting. While everyone thought him to be careless and silly, joking his life away even with the Kaiju threat, Miroslav could see that his memories were quite scrambled. The pair had practiced of course, but Thomas was young, and Philipp had forced them into these kind of simulations to make sure they could work together.

_Ready?_ Miro thinks, and Thomas replies, grinning. _Always am, Opa._ He ignores the pet name (tries to, anyway, Thomas obviously notices his mind lingering on it a bit longer than necessary) and moves his body to start walking. The Kaiju appears after a set of pixels in front of them, Thomas is struck by how real it looks. _Right fist, up._

The Jaeger obeys, and while the Kaiju in front of them braces himself, so do they.

_How do they make it feel so real?_ Thomas asks, as the punch throws them a bit off. _You can ask Sami later._

The Kaiju is large and bulky, and stands back up fairly quickly. _Remember, his nose can cut through an armor of a Jaeger._ Even if this is supposed to be a simulation, Thomas mentally cheers when they successfully tackle the beast down. It disappears, the animation dissolving entirely. He starts doing his small victory circle dance that Miro is so familiar with, and mentally laughs.

There’s something new, a feeling in him (them).  _You okay?_ Miro asks, when Thomas’ happiness turns into a nervous energy. A thing about being so compatible means they feel everything the other does. He’s in his head, and Thomas is in his. _It’s nothing._ Thomas lies, even if he knows it’s useless, because Miroslav can see exactly what it is.

“Congrats guys! That was amazing.” Sami interrupts them, and Miro takes the chance to disconnect himself, craving a bit of privacy in his thoughts. They undrift, the usual feeling of loneliness he gets after mind melding with Thomas. He turns off the coms so Sami can’t hear. Now that he’s sure no one is sharing his thoughts, Miroslav looks at Thomas. 

“Since when?” There’s much more he wants to ask, why hadn’t he spotted it before? Was it even possible to hide such a thing. Pilots needed to trust each other, and this kind of feelings were exactly the kind of threat to a healthy bonding relationship. He remembers Lukas denying his feelings to Philipp at one point, how much that had hurt both Bastian and their performance.

Thomas looks away, trying to find something amusing. “I dunno,” He replies. “It doesn’t have to _change_ anything, does it?”

He doesn’t reply, Miro knows that it can very well change everything. Bastian and Lukas figured it out, but it took them a while; and it put their safety at risk. If Philipp found out--

“Philipp knows already,” Thomas shrugs, making Miro jump. They’re not mind melding anymore, so he shouldn’t _know._ “Bastian and Lukas? Really? I had no idea.” He adds.

“How are you--?” He says, confused. A thought-- whether if it his or Thomas’, he can’t be sure. _Ghost drifting_? He’d only heard it was a thing, but never had he seen it. “Maybe it’s because we drift _so well,_ it kinda stays with us,” Thomas suggest, Miro can _feel_ that he’s actually fond of the idea. Again, not sure if this is Thomas’ feeling or his own, a part of Miroslav doesn’t mind it much either.

“I promise my feelings won’t affect our missions,” Thomas says, and he means it. Miro doesn’t need the neural connection to tell. He nods and smiles a bit, just enough to let him know that he’ll give this, them a try. After all, it can’t be a coincidence that he’s bonded so well with Thomas.

 

 


	5. timo/philipp

“What do you mean you _don’t like the snow?_ Everyone loves snow, and it _is_ New Year’s!”

Andi shrugged, “Timo will go with you, don’t worry.”

Philipp turned around to find the goalkeeper already grabbing his coat and scarf. It’s not that he didn’t _like_ Timo, in fact, if he had to pick anyone from the team: it would certainly be him. But that was exactly the problem: Philipp wasn’t sure of how where his feelings for his friend stood. He was fond of him, and he knew Timo felt the same way; anyone with eyes could surely see that.

They took a step outside together, away from the loud music celebration. He felt thankful that the lads had gathered together for New Year’s Eve. Staying at Stuttgart for the holidays because of insurance business had completely taken his plans of going back to Munich. The sounds are muffled behind them, but soon enough, a cough coming from Timo’s direction took his attention.

“I’ve always loved the snow,” Philipp said, just to avoid the silence. Timo smiled, “Yeah-- I used to love making little snowmen when I was younger.”

That sparkled a memory in Philipp’s mind. “My snowmen were always taller than me.” 

It earned an honest laugh from Timo, and Philipp found it hard not to join him. “My mother used to help me place the head, and I used to try to give them a football in case they got bored.”

Timo laughed even further, completely struck by the image of a small Philipp Lahm playing football against his snowmen. Philipp eventually smiled back. His childhood seemed like centuries ago, when he had no pressure of anything and only aspirations. He’s come a long way since from the academy all the way to the national team.

“It’s been a great year, hasn’t it?”

While his eyes were set on the night sky and the snowflakes that fell on them, Philipp could still see from the corner of his eye the way Timo turned to him at his words. “I’ve really felt at home here, I never expected to-- adapt this way away from Munich.”

“It’s been great having you here, you’re great--” Timo replied, forcing Philipp’s gaze on him. “I mean, you’re great for the team.”

Philipp blinked, not fully sure of what Timo had just meant. “Thanks,” A compliment from Timo always made him more self-conscious than others. His opinion seemed to have a huge weight on him, no matter how much he tried to dismiss it. A part of him always wanted to impress the goalkeeper. It helped that he, being a part of the defense, meant that he and Timo had to have a clear communication. In a way, he was the last standing defense in front of Timo, and he deserved nothing but the best.

“Listen-- Fips.” Timo took a step closer. “There’s something I have to take off my chest. You like spending time with the team, don’t you?”

As much as his mind told him to stay calm, his heart was already racing, and his hands suddenly needed to get a grip of his coat. Yet he managed to nod, it was true. What at first had seemed like a dreadful option, leaving his home club, had ended in new friends and new opportunities to learn. Most importantly, it had led him to Timo’s friendship. He forced that last thought, because that’s all that was going on between them.

“I liked spending time with the guys before, but now; ever since you’ve come along I just--”

“Guys! It’s almost midnight!” Andi’s voice interrupted them from the door. Philipp immediately looked back and waved an acknowledgment. His heart was still racing at Timo’s words. Turning back on his feet, their eyes meeting. He wasn’t sure if the red tint on Timo’s face came from the cold or something else. Even so, Timo smiled. It was in his nature, Philipp had found. 

“What I meant to say was that-- I’m glad we met.”

Philipp smiled back at this and nodded. “Me too.”

The party is loud enough to hear the numbers from where they’re standing. It takes both of their attention, as the final countdown began. _Ten, nine, eight._ Another memory stroke Philipp again, this time, Miroslav sharing last year how Ivan kissed him just as the year changed. _Seven, six, five._ Timo turned to him, his expression glowing exactly as the thought of leaning up and kissing him stuck him like lightning. _Three, two, one!_

His attention was taken by the fireworks in the sky. He had heard about how Stuttgart had amazing shows, the colors shining bright enough to light up the entire sky. It was a set of flowers blossoming up in the dark sky one after the other. Green, red, blue and so on above them.  Even so, Philipp found that it wasn’t the sparks in the night that kept him captivated as much as Timo next to him.

He turned to find him, but to his surprise, the goalkeeper wasn’t there anymore. “Tim--” He started, only to be cut instantly by what seemed to be a giant snowball on his back. The unexpected force sent him stumbling a few steps forward, but still managing not to fall. Timo laughed, and quickly hurried to form another one. By the time he could throw it again, Philipp had now braced himself.

Timo aimed, but missed by a large distance above Philipp’s head. He couldn’t think of another moment he had been thankful of his height. His knees dropped to the snow, dragging as fast as he could a ball of snow. The fight lasted longer than either of them had intended, ending with the pair sitting on the doorstep, soaking wet from the snow on their jackets.

“It’s not fair-- you’re used to moving much more body-wise when balls are involved.” Philipp comments, still trying to catch his breath. “I haven’t had this fun in years.”

“Yeah, but you have an advantage--” He started but trailed. Philipp rose an eyebrow, knowing exactly where Timo has heading. Neither of them could hold the seriousness for too long, both of them breaking into pure laughter. “Next time we can build taller snowmen.” Timo adds, as a consolation.

Philipp smiled to himself at Timo’s originality. His thoughts going back to what he felt during the final countdown. Timo was his friend, he knew this. Even so, while maybe some other people shared kisses on these dates, he’d definitely take this. Maybe it’d be their thing, and for a moment considered spending more holidays at Timo’s side.  


	6. robert/thomas

“Don’t you think that’s enough to have the entire Empire on your tail?”

“Five ships in nine minutes? Seriously?” Thomas gasps, after swallowing his Jedha drink.

Toni nods, unimpressed at Thomas’ ability to eat and drink while reacting to stories. “Robert Lewandowski,”

The pair follow the rest of the pilot squad. Toni catches how Thomas throws away the garbage from his snack without alerting much attention. He stands awkwardly behind his friend. Ahead, they spot Philipp Lahm waving in their direction.

“Lewandowski is being transferred on a class D ship. Müller, Kroos. I can’t afford the enemy to learn how many pilots we’ve trained, so I’m sending you both in. Your mission is to divert the ship and if you can, get him back to a rebel ship.”

“Understood.” Toni replies, cold as always, while Thomas simply nods.

 

 

Toni’s voice comes from the intercom. “You see it?” It is really impossible to miss, giant sized heavy fighter hovering above the planet Iridonia, so he replies with a sarcastic tone.

“Not sure.”

“Very funny-- stand by, we’re going to stay behind it undetected.”

“Copy that.”

The two rebel light fighters swoop smoothly behind the enemy vessel, and Thomas can appreciate the sight of such advanced technology. How could the empire have such neat ships? He’s always been tempted to be an engineer of some sort, like his father, but it was piloting that took his heart. It was a sort of challenge to fly these things for him. Just like most of the civilians found balance in the force, Thomas found himself at ease in the balance of aerodynamics. He believed in the alliance too, and what it stood for. His attention is taken by Toni’s alerted voice through the com.

“Enemy vessels! About five of them!”

Thomas looks on the radar to confirm and he notices the Toni is already taking action. Switching up the com again, he’s cut off by Toni again. “Thomas! I’ll distract them, they must have left the ship unguarded. Get in there and find Lewandowski.”

He complies, directing straight forward to the spot from where it seems that the smaller enemy ships flew from. He’s thankful their small fighters are flexible; he’s able to swift right through the closing door and landing safely on the base.

 

 

There’s two Stormtroopers at the entrance, but Thomas can’t really spot more. They might be up in the air fighting Toni, or maybe they’re just out of his sight. He checks his surroundings looking for a way out, to find the venting system unusually wide. By the time he’s climbed all the way through the entrance, one of the two troopers finally notice the rebel ship docked.

“What on ear--”

Thomas doesn’t stay around to find out their reaction though, his priority is to find this crazy talented pilot. His tiny body allows the movements in the vent rather swiftly. He reaches a big room; one he can guess is probably where the weapons are launched. There’s reactors leading up to where the laser beams are launched. This cannot be where the Empire would keep a pilot, yet it must be one of the most unguarded places, so he picks the spot to fall down.

Another couple of Stormtroopers discussing what they’ll be doing for Christmas are up ahead, and Thomas manages to sneak pass them without making too much noise. He’s about to rush down the white and gray corridor when he bumps into a dark haired man as the door opens. So much for all his successful infiltration. Panic in his veins, he takes a few steps back and turns around hoping it’s not too late.

“Halt, there." 

The Stormtroopers stare back, and notice that Thomas is fully clothed in rebel-piloting gear. He’s been caught, as the dark haired man shuts the door behind them and orders the couple of troopers to grab him.

But when the pair reach him, the dark man turns and punches the first one in the face, knocking him out. Thomas blinks-- the guy looked like some sort of high ranked officer, a feared one too. Typical Empire-like style, if someone asked him. The second trooper jumps on the man, but he successfully fights him too, Thomas not hiding his surprised expression.

“Robert Lewandowski,” He offers a hand, taking off his hat with the other. “Resistance pilot, I take it we’re on the same side.”

“Thomas Müller.” Everything makes sense, except well for the uniform, but Thomas handshakes him. “I took this off some poor officer while he slept, was finding my way around. They reported a rebel plane, so I had to look around.”

“So now we just need another way out of this,” Thomas finishes. Robert nods, a grin on his face. He takes a step back, then kneels down taking a Stormtrooper helmet. “And you need a disguise.”

He throws the helmet in Thomas’ direction, who sighs because he knows he’s right.

 

 

“Good morning sir.” A trooper rises his hand, Robert nods. They walk back on the docking station, where Thomas can see his ship has vanished. He follows Robert all the way to an enemy ship, to which Thomas whispers. 

“Can you fly these?”

With confidence, Robert turns to him. “I can fly anything,”

He’s glad he’s wearing a helmet, because Thomas smiles, curiously intrigued by this man’s personality. He was after all, the man who shot down and destroyed five enemy vessels in nine minutes, setting an intergalactic record.

Robert leans down on the platform, pressing the blue button. “Business aboard the Johnson XVII?”

“Inspection. After the Rebels have infiltrated us, we must be sure they are not hiding there.”

Silence, until the voice comes back.

“Confirmed. Name and Identification?”

“Oh,” He scrambles around his body, reaching out for the ID tag in his pocket. “Diego Costa, 23523-1294” 

Thomas blinks as he turns around, wondering if they’ll be lucky enough to make it through this. The voice authorizes them, opening the vessel. The controls look fairly similar to a rebel ship; he notices as soon as he takes his helmet off. Though now that he thinks about it, they do have similar technology. Robert sits down in the main seat, while Thomas settles for the back one.

“Here goes-- nothing.”

He turns the engine on, and Thomas can’t help but stare a bit too long on the reflection at Robert. The ship starts moving, a sort of impulse that doesn’t feel quite enough. 

“Do they have an Uranium brake?” He lets out, “This is an enemy ship, why would they--”

Thomas has always learned to feel his ship rather than to simply fly it. Maybe that was one of the perks for having a science sided family. He’s sure of himself; the ship is struggling, so he jumps from his seat to Robert’s landing awkwardly on him.

“Oh, sorry--” He apologizes, noticing the position in which he has put himself, “It should be here somewhere…” Looking around, there’s not much to give him a lead, so he trusts his instinct and pulls down a level on the right side. The ship suddenly speeding up. “Uranium brake.” He confirms, looking at Robert with a raised eyebrow.

The man laughs, shrugging. “Get back into the lasers seat,” he orders, his hands already on the maneuvering stick. He turns off the coms when they can’t really give an explanation on to why the ship is taking off. It’s too late for the Empire to stop them too, by the time the troopers arrive into the station, they’re already flying away.

“Auf wiedersehen,” Thomas cackles, shooting the lasers more to distract than to actually kill something. They don’t stumble upon many more ships, and it’s most likely thanks to Toni. When the pair find his rebel ship in the air, Thomas jumps again on the console desperate for establishing coms with him. His friend would be extremely capable of shooting an enemy ship without checking twice. To his blessing, he remembers the frequency him and Toni have.

“Toni Kroos here,”

“It’s me! Thomas and Lewandowski, don’t shoot. I successfully rescued him.”

Toni laughs, and Robert raises an eyebrow, “Thanks-- Although I’m pretty sure we saved each other.”

He feels his lip twitch up into a smile, as he goes back to his seat.


End file.
